Follow up: Modifications to the GEM Configuration to support the Stand Alone Dashboard and the SEG.

This is a followup to my earlier review of the GEM at: GEM - Green Eye Monitor - Review

Follow up: REMOVED SEG (Smart Energy Group) and now run with just the Dashbox.

Maintaining the Standalone software running on the server was not as stable as I would have liked, so I purchased and installed a DashBox (See Below). While I was at it, I eliminated the SEG as they were no longer free and were now looking for a subscription fee,

My comments on the DashBox. Very nice interface, and simple to connect to the GEM. Enhanced graphics over the stand alone software make it well worth the investment.

Follow up: Modifications to the GEM Configuration to support the Stand Alone Dashboard.

I have had my GEM connected to the SEG for about a year. On Feb 28^th at 8:58PM I received the following message from the Smart Energy Group System:

“Your SEG device: mainpanel
just logged an event: Your device is offline, we thought you'd like to know.”

It was not just myself, but it seemed many were suffering the same outage.

By March 5^th things seemed to be back, and by the 7th working as they should on the SEG (Thank you Sam!), but I had already started re-configuring my system to support a local Dashboard with forwarding to the SEG, so it took a little longer before my system was 100% back online.

Brultech offers a little device (a small fanless computer) called Dashbox, from what I understand it operates very similar to their Stand Alone Dashboard Software.

They also have available for download at no charge a Stand Alone Dashboard software program that runs on a PC or Server at the following URL:

http://www.brultech.com/home/software/index.php/software/getsoft/1/1

I happen to have 2 Windows Home Servers one is a small HP EX490 running Windows Home Server with Service Pack 2. These are no longer made but a solid unit. There is also the EX495 or older EX470. The EX495 being the fastest processor. I see them on eBay from time to time for 250 – 500 depending on configuration. MY EX490 has 4 Drives, a 1TB and 3 2TB for 6.37 TB available storage. I use this server as my on 24X7 for backup of my Main PC, Family PC, Media PC, Laptop, and Garage PC. It also holds a copy of my Music collection for streaming.

My other server is a Supermicro Server with an internal SSD  for booting with 8 3TB Hot Swap drives or 21.5TB available space in a RAID 10 configuration. This is further backed up by 4 External USB-3 3TB HD’s. This one is running Windows Home Server 2011.This is my main File Server, Archive, and Media Server for the “My Movies” application and Music backup files. This one is a power hog, so I do not run it 24X7. I run this one more or less as needed.

So it was an easy decision where to put the Stand Alone Dashboard as it needs to be up 24X7. It would live on the EX490.

As per the Stand Alone Dashboard manual:

“The “Stand Alone Dashboard” (SAD) is a condensed version of the DashBox webserver. SAD needs to be installed on a webserver. The webserver may be local or remote. If it is to be installed on a local PC, This PC will require webserver software. Fortunately open source versions are free to download.”

The first thing I did was download XAMPPLITE and install it on the EX490. There are step by step instructions in the .pdf included in the download from Burltech from the link above. I needed to make one change after the installation. I had to change the httpd.conf file to a port other than 80 as 80 is used by the IIS server already installed on the homeserver. I chose 8081 as the port I would use.

Notepad was used to modify the httpd.conf file in XAMPP to be:

Listen 192.168.1.5:8081

NameVirtualHost *:8081

<VirtualHost *:8081>

After installing the  Burltech files to the server I connected to 192.168.1.5:8081 with a browser and was connected to the Stand Alone Dashboard. There is a section on security in the document included with the XAMPPLITE package. I followed the instructions to add XAMPP directory protection with a password (just to be safe).

Now time to connect the GEM to the Stand Alone Dashboard. I contacted Ben at Burltech and he suggested, “While you’re making changes, you may as well install the latest COM/ENG firmware.  I’ve attached them.” So I proceeded to update the firmware, and as usual all went fine. I noticed another email from Ben suggesting “Apply the attached firmware to your WiFi/Ethernet module.” This was going to be the fix that would allow me to leave the GEM in Server Mode and connect to the Stand Alone Dashboard using Network Settings in the GEM. This would be great as you could pop in and out of the GEM without having to keep changing it from Client to Server mode every time. I proceeded to run the firmware upgrade on the WiFi/Ethernet module and somehow managed to brick it solid! Ben was very helpful in trying to help get it talking again, but we ended up replacing the module. A small set back. Once the new chip arrived (3-Days) I popped it in and the GEM came up, and I was good to go. (Big thanks to Ben and Burltech).

Over the next few days I attempted to connect the GEM to the Stand Alone Dashboard application running on the server. The problem was, other than the “Raw Data” tab in the application I had no way to tell if the packets were getting to the server or if the GEM was sending them. I downloaded CommView 6.5 packet sniffer (trial Version) and installed it on the server. By setting it to look for packets from 192.168.1.5 (the server) or 192.168.1.50 (the GEM) I could now see what was going on.

Using the GEM Network Utility I found the GEM at 192.168.1.34. I opened the Network :80 to a browser.

The first thing I did was to hardcode the IP address in the GEM WiFI/Ethernet module to 192.168.1.50, and also blocked this IP from being assigned by the routers DHCP.

Next, as I have the GEM connected via Ethernet and was not using the WiFi I made it hidden and added WPA security to the access point. I found that it must stay in AP mode, any attempt to change to STA mode and I lost connectivity and had to reset the module to get back in.

I applied a password to the module in the Device Management settings then applied and reset the device.

Now on to the GEM Setup page at port 8000. I opened this to a browser and made the following changes.

From the Packet Send TAB I set the GEM to Packet Format 3 – HTTP GET and set the interval to 30 sec. Then turned on Include Current in Packet on.

Moving to the Data Post TAB the URL address I entered was http://192.168.1.5:8081 to direct the packets to port 8081 on the server as it was asking for a URL.

I then set the Network Host IP address to 192.168.1.5 and port 8081. When I exited the setup page I did see the GEM attempting to send packets to the server on the packet sniffer, but the server was responding to the GEM with an error message. (This is not something you would know without the sniffer as the application did not show any activity)

I then went into the GEM and changed the URL address to simply the IP, and exited the set up page. Keep in mind when you enter the setup page it stops communicating until you exit the page.

It was at this point I noticed it was sending packets and getting an OK back from the application.

   

The Raw data flowing into the server (from the RAW Data TAB) now looked like this:

-------------
2015-03-15 12:56:06: Serial Number is 01000230 and seconds is 12598062
01000230 Debug
Pulse: 11508667,11140125,6499299,11810680
Wattseconds: 11508667,11140125,6499299,11810680
Temps: 0,,,,,,,
-------------

In a few minutes I started seeing data in the Stand Alone Dashboard. Below are some examples of what the Dashboard looks like. You will not see anything in the top panel until you select your Main from the Manage Monitor Device Information.

 I need to finish adding pictures to the loads main page. You can drill down by clicking on a load and compare to another load or date side by side.

Or view the graph add and remove channels you wish to review by clicking them.

  

Once the GEM was talking to the Stand Alone Monitor it was very simple to have it resend the data to the SEG, you simply enter your SEG key and that is it! Although I did have to recreate my stream as it was discovered as a new feed, this took me about an hour. The result is now I have my data visible in two places, the Stand Alone Dashboard running on my Homeserver, and the SEG. Both are visible from my iPad or iPhone and function very well.

The only flaw I have found in the Stand Alone Dashboard that I have not yet discussed with Brultech is that the only thing that seems to be impacted by selecting hide a channel in the Device Information is the main loads page. All others, including what it is re-sending to the SEG do not appear to take advantage of this setting.

You will see below I now have an archived Main Panel TAB on the SEG (Prior to the change) and a new TAB “My Home on the SEG” housing the data being resent from the Stand Alone Dashboard.

I still have 8 free channels on the GEM so I can support future enhancements such as a Solar Panel System.  

GEM (Green Eye Monitor) Review

So the first question is going to be what is a GEM and what will it do for me? The GEM is a 32- Channel Energy Monitor system, that indicates true Watt or Kilowatts, and Kilowatt Hours, as measured from Current Transformers installed in your electric panel. It can also monitor 4 - Pulse Count Inputs for something like a gas or water meter, and can monitor up to 8 - temperature sensors.

My GEM communicates with a server in Australia called "SMARTENERGYgroups.com" once every 30 seconds it sends a short stream that indicates the status of all sensors attached to it. Using my Web Browser or iPad or iPhone, I can connect to the Server and see what is using energy in my home. The SmartEnergyGroups.com dashboards are iPad friendly using a browser so really no app is required. The following are examples of some of the gadgets from my dashboard:

What's On Now and Heat Map

 Main Circuit Usage

Branch Circuit usage 

The Installation was fairly straight forward. I was once an electrician, so had no problems installing the Current Transformers into the electric panel. I would recommend you have an electrician do this part for you if you are not experienced in this area. This is a picture of the panel with the CT's installed. The 200 and 100 amp CT's split so you can slip them around the wires, the 40CT's require you remove each wire from the circuit breaker and slip the CT over it.

 

The GEM has a communications board at the top and the sensor board with the 32 zones:

The GEM can connect to a PC via the WiFi, or Ethernet. There is also a handy Network Utility to help you identify the GEM on your home network.

I purchased my GEM direct from Brultech Research at www.Brultech.com. (a Canada Company) Their support was helpful when I contacted them about a question on communications.

What have I learned so far? Well I learned that working at home, and having computers and servers as a hobby can cost lots of $$. So far 39% of my electric consumption goes to power my UPS and 24TB Server in the basement. Also 25% goes to power my office, a few computers on all day, and 7.9% powers my 84 bottle wine cooler! I was surprised to see how efficient the LED lighting is around the property. I run 21 outdoor lamps in the evening and it is barely noticeable in the overall power used. 

So far so good, it has been working for about three weeks.

I am going to use the information I learn to tweak my usage patterns to reduce my overall electric usage. As an example; I may upgrade my Server to something more efficient, and convert to a Gas Dryer. Now that I can actually see what is using the power I can better manage it. 

 

UPDATE: I have made many changes since this post - See http://thingsnotleftunsaid.blogspot.com/2015/03/follow-up-modifications-to-gem.html

IRWIN MARATHON 7-1/4 24T Saw Blades (China Made Junk!)

I am building a workbench in my new garage, and decided I would like two hunks of bowling alley as my work surface. From the first 40' of the alley, making it all very dense maple hard wood. I started searching and found two 11' sections about 180 miles away. Called the guy and he only wanted 25.00 ea for the sections, so I solicited some help from my son and drove out to pick them up.

These things are very heavy, each one was well in excess of 350lbs. We loaded them up and headed home.

So now time to cut these 11' X 36" X 2" chunks into my soon to be work bench surface. This required making two pieces one 9 - 1/2' X 27" and one 7' X 27". My Skill saw already had an Irwin 7-1/4 24T Carbide blade in it so I used it to make my first cut, taking off 36" on one end. I worked from the back side screwing a furring strip to use as a guide. The cut was nice and clean, even though I did cut four nails in half and two the long way. I figured for the long cut I would put on a new blade, as I was aware this was tough stuff and sure to be nails every six to eight inches all the way down the full length. I went to my local hardware store and picked up two Marathon Carbide 7-1/4 X 24T blades, same as what was already in the saw (So I thought!).

I put on one of the new blades and started my long cut, about one third the way, after cutting through a few nails I noticed the blade was not cutting and in fact was warping or becoming soft and kind of going its own way. I stopped and examined the blade, all the carbide tips were gone! So I changed to the other new blade and started cutting again, with the same experience. After another third of the way the blade was trash, teeth gone! I went to switch back to my original blade and noticed the only difference was the blade that was originally in my saw was made in New Zealand vs. the blades that failed were made in China. I put the old blade back on and finished the cut, hitting many nails along the way, but all the teeth were still in place, the blade looked like new!

It was clear, the blades from China were junk. I went back to the hardware store and found all the blades were made in China; DeWalt, Irwin, Chraftsman, ACE, in fact they all looked like they came out of the same factory. In flipping through the stock, way at the back I found two Irwin Marathon 24T Carbide blades NOS (2005) made in New Zealand. I purchased both of them.

Now time to cut the long cut with the (New) New Zealand made blade. As expected, one blade made the full 11' cut, going through many nails along the way and it still looks like new!

When will these Companies learn? The package states made in China to Irwin Specifications; so did the New Zealand blades, but clearly, there is a major difference between the quality of the blades from New Zealand vs. the blades from China!!

Traeger - Lil Tex Elite - Smoker Grill

I received my new Traeger Lil-Tex Elite Grill this week.

I paid $799.00 with cover and two 20 lb. bags of pellets (Hickory & Mesquite) (Memorial Day Sale) direct from Traeger's web site with no shipping or sales tax.

The Everyday Cookbook is included in the box, but not the analog temperature gage, that is optional. Some assembly is required, but very simple, really just putting on the legs. Once fully assembled there is a 45 min burn in process to burn off the "Newness" and eliminate any manufacturing left over oils etc. Overall this all went fine, there was a minor bend in one of the slots where the legs had to slide in, but easily straightened out with a pair of pliers. After it had cooled down, I applied a coat of automotive wax to the outside and buffed to a shine. I read this would help protect it to do this annually.

First cooking adventure with the Traeger: BBQ Baby Back Ribs using the Treager 3-2-1 method and Hickory Pellets, with the addition of some ideas I have read about on the web. I started preparing the ribs around 10:30AM. Made up the mustard, Apple Juice and Worcestershire Sauce, and spread it on three racks of ribs (3 racks - about 9 lbs.) I was not sure on the pork rub, how much to use, but sprinkled evenly and rubbed it in. So now I was ready to start smoking!

Following the directions to start the smoker/grill I set it to smoke with the cover open. After it started and there was visible smoke, I closed the lid but the temperature kept rising all the way up to 375, and it was set to smoke (160 - 180 expected). So I watched it rise all the way to 400 and after a few minutes of this I called Traeger Technical Support. A young man answered the call and when I told him what was going on he told me the unit had to complete a cycle, and to leave the lid open for 10-15 min, then close the lid and all should be OK. I followed his suggestion, and lo and behold it worked as he said it would. It was smoking well, with temps running between 160 to 170 as I expected.

Cooking the ribs: I sprayed the grille grate with PAM, just to prevent sticking. Put on the ribs, bone side down, and sat back with a beverage and watched the smoker do its thing. After 45 minutes I sprayed the ribs with apple juice I had put into a new clean spray bottle (I read this trick from a few people on the web). I will spray the ribs during the smoke process once every 45 minutes. So the process looks like this:

·         10:30 - Prepare Ribs

·         11:00 - Ribs on Smoker (180 deg good smoke)

·         11:45 - Spray lightly with apple juice

·         12:30 - Spray lightly with apple juice

·         1:15 - Spray lightly with apple juice

·         2:15 - Remove for Phase 2 (set smoker to 225 deg)

·                         - Wrap each rack of ribs in foil (with brown sugar, apple juice, and honey)

·         2:30 - Back on smoker at 225 deg

·         4:30 - Remove foil add BBQ sauce

·         5:30 - Remove ribs

·         5:45 - Enjoy

The final product was great! Well worth the effort. The meat was tender, not falling of the bone, but just a slight pull to separate it. I am now looking forward to my next smoking project, maybe a Turkey, or chicken.

My final thoughts on the Traeger Smoker:  I can see why many folks are upset with the switch in 2007 from being made in USA to having the units made in China. The product clearly felt like "Made In China" as I took it out of the box and assembled it. The metal work, how thin it is, and the feel, all scream "Made In China". We are becoming accustomed to this today, with so many things, it is a shame. As with most things it did function as it was designed. I do feel with the shift to China the cost should have come down, at $799. the unit feels overpriced by about $300.00. These are now being offered at many Costco stores, and I'll bet Lowes or Home Depot is next! The Traeger Smoker/Grill is not a specialty product any longer.  

Cruise Vacation Review

Ship: Royal Caribbean International - Explorer of the Seas

Itinerary: Nine nights - Bermuda, St Maarten, St. Thomas/St John, San Juan

Departing from: Port Liberty - Bayone, NJ - April 12, 2012

Cabin: Royal Family Suite

The planning process was painful, using the RCI web site offered many challenges. Purchased amenities confirmations did not line up with what was actually purchased. The cruise planner did not always reflect actual packages and upgrades purchased. System only allows for four passengers per reservation, so the fifth is on a "linked" separate reservation, this proved difficult when planning. Due to the poor design of the web site many calls were required to RCL customer service to finally assure all packages were in place and we were ready for our cruise.

Parking at the Sea Port was $175.00 for the nine days, kind of expensive considering.

Suite Upgrade - Overall I found this a worthwhile investment in the trip. Separate boarding area to speed up the boarding process, along with Gold Level Seating at the shows, special area on the pool deck, breakfast and lunch in Portofino's, a roomy two bedroom suite with table and four lounge chairs on a generous size deck looking out the back of the ship. And of course early departure arrangements. You pay extra for a suite but they do make it a good value if you can afford paying a little extra.

Our Cabin Steward - This guy did not get it! I have read so many reviews with people stating how much the steward did, and how engaged their steward was. Ours did just the minimum, and was not very engaged in his job at all. On the first day I asked for covers for the lounge chairs on the deck (they were kind of dirty from the ships exhaust) he said he would get us some, the next day he showed up with them and just tossed them on a chair in the cabin. (You would have expected him to put them on the lounge chairs). He never (except once after I complained) wiped down the table and chairs on the deck from the soot. He never replaced the soap or shower gel or shampoo, again until I asked. I had pre paid the gratuity, but wish there was some way I could have held back 10% from this guy, he was clearly not ready for the job he had.

Dining - I did not expect this to be a gourmet dining experience, but I must say this is one area where RCI has it down to a science. All meals from breakfast lunch to dinner and snacks in-between were excellent. The wait staff were superb, engaged, and you could tell wanted to provide a first class experience for the guests. Steaks were done to order, sea food was fresh tasting, and vegetables cooked just perfect, and deserts were fresh and tasty. I would give them an A+ for food service overall. A must try is Portofino's and Johnny Rockets, a small up charge but well worth it.

Bar Service - Overall good job. The Platinum wine package worked well after a few days, but took some time for the staff to catch on that we had this package. Stayed away from the drink pushers by the pool, and always ordered fresh from the bar. All bartenders and staff were helpful and friendly. Drinks were for the most part well made with an adequate amount of liquor.

Getting on and off the ship - I don't know how they do it! At each port of call it was easy on and easy off, with little waiting. I would have thought with 3000 people getting on and off there would be long lines, but not so. We almost had no lines at all, at any port... Very good job by all staff in this area.

They say you either love cruising or hate it. Well I would say I don't hate it. We had good weather, and mild seas, so no problem there. I might try again, maybe Alaska, or Western Caribbean. Would I use RCI again? Maybe but given some of the issues we had and with nothing to compare it to, I might try NCL, or Celebrity next time.

Things Can Change - Table & Vine Improved Service

Improvement at Table & Vine in West Springfield, MA.

I recently filed the following complaint to Big Y Management (They Own Table & Vine)

During a recent visit to Table & Vine I noticed a sign above a row of wine stating it was rated 91 points by Robert Parker, upon further examination the sign was for a different vintage year than what was being sold. I figured this was a mistake, and continued shopping. Just a few rows down I again noticed a high graded wine sign, but a different vintage being offered. Now I started looking closely and found this five times in one row! In fact I found some hand written signs stating high ratings with no vintage year stated at all! It became evident that this was not an error, but a direct attempt to push wine through false and misleading advertising.

There is no reason for this kind of misleading tactics (especially from a company you feel you can trust like the Big Y). This is like a car dealership advertising a 2010 car, but substituting a 2006. Wine is very specific to its year. Just because a 2007 vintage rated well, has nothing to do with how well a 2009 vintage of the same label would rate. Any sign that states a rating should always clearly show the vintage year rated, and that must always be in line with what is being offered.

I purchase $250 - $300 worth of wine a month, and will no longer shop Table and Vine until this is corrected. I appreciate anything Big Y leadership can do to restore my faith in Big Y’s ethical principles and conduct in running its business. I would also suggest an audit be taken of the Table & Vine operation to assure it is following corporate guidance going forward. I hope what I have noticed is not just the tip of the iceberg.

On a side note; two times in the last month I went to purchase my favorite varietal and it was out of stock. When I requested to order a case, it was as if I was asking the salesman to go out of his way; instead he told me it was a warehouse stock item and should be in next week and I could just pick it up from the floor. Only after I insisted, did he agree to place the order. We went to a order station, and he could not find a blank form, or even a pen that writes! He asked me to put my name on a paper with a Magic-Marker! Very Un-Professional. In the month prior to that, I attempted to order a case of wine from an Email to the store. After not receiving a response I went to the store and the salesman went to a computer and found my email, we placed the order; but again a failed very poor process.

________________________________________________________________________

November 12, 2011

I would like to report a major improvement - I took a chance last week and went in to pick up some wine. I found all signs now accurately lining up with the actual wine on sale. I asked for a case of my favorite wine (7 Deadly Zins) and the clerk promptly responded yes sir and brought me out a case in less than two minutes. Two times while shopping I was approached and asked if I needed any assistance. Good Job Table & Vine, keep up the good job........

________________________________________________________________________

April 28, 2020 

Well they are back to their old tricks. On a recent visit to Town & Country Liquors I noticed once again they are mislabeling wine as high rated but not the vintage they are selling. I found this over 8 times in one isle!! You know this is intentional. I will not be going back anytime soon.

Town Fair Tire - Poor Customer Service

Well I have not had any response to my complaint I sent to Town Fair Tire on October 1(see previous post in my blog).

I sent my email to custservice@townfair.com but after 11 days not so much as an acknowledgement from them.What a poor excuse for a company, they can't even respond to their customers when there is a problem!

Do yourself a favor, pay a little more someplace else and save a lot of aggravation in the long run making return trips and being messed with by these guys that have no clue how to install or service tires or even the basics of providing customer service.